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The author described what happened in Krakow as a tragedy, writing that people enjoying the city’s cultural heritage square had become victims of an act of terror and violence. They said their thoughts, prayers and wishes were with the victims and the people of Poland. #Krakow #Terrorism #Poland #PL

The author described the incident in Krakow as a tragedy and said Poland had previously been spared mass shootings of that kind. They wrote that a local police officer had stopped the attacker despite being injured, while passers-by rushed to help the victims. #Polska #Kraków #tragedia #PL

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist. The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission. As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. The Thirteenth Tale is a love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and laughter and, in the end, deposit you breathless yet satisfied back upon the shore of your everyday life.

MORDOR IN FLAMES Over the past few days, we've been treated to quite a few images worthy of becoming photo of the month from the russian wasteland. For the fifth day in a row, Ukraine has been striking russian oil industry facilities harder than ever. I wouldn't be surprised if we get more footage tomorrow as well. @ October 30 – oil refinery in the samara region. @ October 31 – ufa oil refinery. @ November 1 – kstovo oil refinery. @ November 2 – samara fuel storage and distribution hub (the largest in Europe). @ November 3 – yaroslavl oil refinery. Around 10% of russia's oil refining capacity has been knocked offline in just a few days – and these particular facilities account for that share. As a result, additional fuel sales restrictions have been introduced in the affected regions. Meanwhile, various estimates put the overall share of russian oil refining capacity currently disrupted somewhere between 30% and 50%. This is a constantly changing figure, because the russians fix something, then the Ukrainians come along and smash it again. So, the footage from these attacks is looking pretty damn good, and it immediately reminds me of that story about Budanov reportedly finding out that the USA had struck a diesel deal with russia, getting absolutely furious, walking out of the negotiations and telling the Americans: "we will burn down all those refineries". Budanov himself personally denied these rumours, but I'll personally choose to believe this legend, because judging by what's been happening over the past few days, the story certainly seems to fit. And speaking of the refineries themselves, these are definitely among the more important ones, with substantial refining capacities. Also, take a look at how many separate fire hotspots can be seen in the photographs. The Ukrainians have started attacking these facilities much more extensively, rather than just targeting a single critical point. In other words, they're making a REAL effort to shut them down completely and for a long time. And to achieve that greater level of damage, Ukraine has started carrying out these attacks in several waves of drones. One wave breaks through the protective anti-drone nets, while the next targets critical processing units. And, as I mentioned, the goal is to damage as many complex and difficult-to-repair parts of the refining process as possible. That's the news and some beautiful footage for today.

The author praised student protests across Europe and dismissed criticism of violence as sanctimonious, arguing that even prolonged rioting by young people would not match the violence the West inflicted daily on the global majority and its own people. #StudentProtests #Solidarity #YouthActivism #EU #US